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Author: Marissa Staniec
Every dance studio must have a social media presence. That’s just the world we live in. It’s how we access our studio’s community, including parents, dancers, faculty and guest teachers. It’s a great way to create revenue and bring attention to your studio. It also helps build your brand. You have to make sure you’re posting the things that are going to bring people through your door. Hook your potential customers. Your social media should reflect exactly what type of brand you’re building around your studio. What are you trying to be? Every studio has it’s own niche and that niche needs to be clearly represented throughout your social media pages. It’s important to have a clear representation of your business online. This is a totally free way to market yourself to the world. Studio owners no longer have to spend money on flyers or newspaper ads to market their studios. Instead, they can send out an email blast, start a hashtag or create an interesting Instagram story. However, be careful. It’s important to keep your social media pages cohesive. Make sure you have the same logo, color scheme and overall vibe. You don’t want people wondering, “Is this the same studio?”, when they surf from page to page. Cohesiveness makes you look professional. Create a culture - your studio culture. How are you different from other studios? I should be able to look through your social media pages and then walk into your studio and feel like I’m in the same place. You want potential customers to instantly recognize your brand. It’s that kind of recognition that will really physically bring people to your door. And that type of attention you created ended up costing you nothing! When you post, you need to not only make it cohesive but, you need to make it relevant. I see posts from studio owners sometimes about their families. If there’s a post on your studio’s Facebook page about your family’s trip to Disney World, it reads as being a little amateur. It really has nothing to do with your business. “Oh, here’s my two year playing with her hula hoop!” It has nothing do with your studio, brand, or vibe of what you’re marketing. If you had people searching your studio at that moment, they’re not going to take your studio as seriously as you would want them to. You’re creating customer confusion. It takes away from the professional aspect of your social media page, which you’ve worked so hard to build. Also, be careful of over posting. You have to post relevant things. Post things that represent your studio the best. Posting hour after hour is a lot. My suggestion would be to do one post a day. If you’re having a special event like a guest teacher, of course, you’re going to try to market that as much as possible and make multiple posts. Special events are perfect to post, but on a regular Tuesday I wouldn’t blow up your Instagram just for the sake of it. Be aware of over-posting because unfortunately, if you over-post, people are just going to unfollow you. Social media is the new version of customer service. Customer service isn’t just over the phone, it isn’t just in person. When someone DM’s you, follows you or even likes your post, it’s so important to engage with that potential client. If someone messages you, it’s imperative that you message them back in a timely manner. I know this can be a chore. We all have crazy lives at the studio between picking music, costumes, and competitions but, this is potential money coming into your business. The people that are receiving a timely response from reaching out to you, those are the people you're going to hook. If you take a week to get back to somebody, chances are they’ve already researched another studio and forgotten about yours. Be active with your social media because this is the new customer service. Hook them in the virtual world so they will be there in the physical world.
Some studios really do all of these things well. It’s important to follow other studios. Draw inspiration. Some of my favorite accounts are The Dream Center Dance Academy (@dcda_ny) or The Southern Strutt (@southernstruttdance). If you want to stand out in a saturated community like the dance world, you have to know what’s out there and you have to do your research. Create your own niche. Be the one who creates a clear sense of your studio’s community. Find your culture and vibe and let that come through in representing yourself online. Post relevant and cohesive things. Remember that this is how you are marketing your business. Make it represent you clearly and professionally. Get potential dancers walking in your door. Take your success in 3D and transfer it into something viral!
*And speaking of Social Media - Don't Forget to follow IDA for weekly Judges Tips! @impactdanceadjudicators *
Marissa Staniec is a professional dancer, educator and adjudicator based in New York City. She received her BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University and has been an IDA Judge since our premier year. She is also the creator of "Beyond The Mirror: A Dancer's Podcast". Download it now on iTunes and follow her on Social Media: @marissastaniecdance